Our Collectable Buttons

Most of our uniform buttons are British or British Commonwealth from 1881 to the present - we have some
even older antique buttons, plus a good selection of worldwide buttons, especially overseas police and merchant
navy tunic buttons.

We are not tailors or military outfitters. The uniform buttons that we sell are mainly
official-issue buttons, rather than the special blazer buttons favoured by some Regiments and Corps. Many people do wear ordinary-
issue uniform buttons on blazers, but please be aware that there is sometimes a difference. Where we do stock special non-issue blazer buttons they will be clearly marked as blazer buttons, and are often more
expensive than issue-pattern buttons.

Vintage buttons are sold for collectors and whilst we may have some in large quantities, many are held as single items. Even the same size and type of button can vary due to age or manufacturing variations.
This could be important if you require matching buttons for a uniform or blazer. If you specifically want matching buttons "all or nothing", please make this clear on your order form.

We are sometimes asked simply for a 'set of buttons', without a clue as to the quantity required. Please note that the number of buttons in a 'set' will vary between different types of jacket.
For example, a double-breasted blazer (boating jacket) will have more buttons that a single-breasted blazer. If you are trying to replace buttons on a uniform, please tell us the sizes and how many
buttons you need rather than expecting us to know the details of the uniform or blazer that you have in your possession.

Uniform Button Sizes & Types

British Army buttons are as varied as cap badges. Each unit has its own unique regimental button,
often with a crest and sometimes a crown. Some regiments have a second design for use on cap buttons. Most fall into 3 size categories:

Small

about 14mm diameter

for the cap and mess dress waistcoats (vests).
This size is also used for gorgets (red tabs worn by
Generals on the collar).

Medium

about 19mm diameter

for pockets and shoulder straps (epaulettes) of most parade uniforms,
also the front-fastening of Other Ranks Khaki No.2 Dress
jackets.

Large

about 25mm diameter

for the great-coat and the front fastening of Guards' scarlet tunics and Officers'
khaki Service Dress jackets.

Some units have a different range of sizes, such as about 16mm
diameter for cuff buttons. We used to annotate these as 'Very-Large', 'Large-Medium' or 'Medium-Small', but for greater accuracy, we now use diameter sizes
in millimetres.

Button Ligne - the traditional way of measuring buttons

In British military dress regulations, the diameter of buttons is often measured in 'Lines' or 'Lignes' (abbreviated to 'L').
40L = 1 inch = 25.4 millimetres. We prefer to use millimetres as few people have the means to measure Lignes.

Ligne

14L

16L

18L

20L

22L

24L

26L

28L

30L

32L

36L

40L

44L

48L

Millimetres

9

10

11.5

13

14

15

16

18

19

20

23

25

28

30

Comparative Rarity of British Military Uniform Buttons

There are fewer Officers than Other Ranks, so Officers' buttons are more scarce. Some sizes of button are rarer than others. Medium-sized buttons are the most common, and the
following is a guide to the rarity of other sizes of British Army button -

Screw-fit buttons are the rarest, they are used to secure Officers bullion wire shoulder boards on Number 1 Dress (and perhaps other uniforms such as Mess Dress depending on regimental dress
tradition). This means only 2 on each Officer's Number 1 Dress uniform. For most regiments, Number 1 Dress went out routine use at the outbreak of World War 2, and relatively few Officers now possess
Number 1 Dress. Screw-fit buttons tend not to be used on Other Ranks' uniforms.

Small buttons (15mm and smaller) are fairly scarce. There are only 2 small-sized buttons on a peaked cap - used to secure the chin-strap. (Scots Guards Number 1 Dress Caps do not have chin-straps or buttons).
Depending on regimental dress tradition, small buttons are sometimes worn on Mess Dress waistcoats by Officers, Warrant Officers and Senior NCOs.
Small buttons are particularly scarce for Scottish regiments as
most of these regiments wear glengarries, Tam o'Shanters, or
Atholl bonnets, none of which have cap buttons.

Large buttons (23mm and larger) are fairly scarce because they are only worn on the great-coat and the front fastening of Guards scarlet tunics and Officers Service Dress jackets. The great-coat is no longer on
general-issue (now only used for 'Public Duties' - the ceremonial guarding of Royal palaces and households). Most Officers' khaki Service Dress jackets have only 4 large buttons. This size of button
is much rarer than medium buttons.

British Army Uniform Button Design & Materials

Sometimes the design and materials used for buttons can give a clue as to their age and identity.

From 1830 onwards, Regular Army infantry regiments that had been wearing silver buttons changed to gilt buttons and thereafter, silver buttons were mainly worn by Militia and Volunteer regiments, and sometimes by pipers of regular regiments.

Other Ranks buttons were made of lead or pewter until 1855 when brass was introduced.

Officers' buttons are often made to a higher specification, often gilt, and sometimes 'mounted'. A mounted button is made from more pieces of metal. The regimental badge is made separately and
mounted onto a plain domed or flat button. Mounted buttons are real works of art and very expensive to produce - not many Regiments have them.

Anodised-Aluminium - known as Staybrite - this was introduced into the British Army about 1950. Some Staybrite buttons were made with a King's Crowns prior to the death of King George VI in
1952. With a life-span of just 2 years, King's Crown Staybrite buttons are quite rare.

Other manufacturing materials include:

'white metal' (this is not actually white, but a silver-colour, similar to that used for coins),

horn - normally black and used by Rifle Regiments and Gurkhas,

plastic,

chrome (this is more common for Police, Fire, Ambulance and transport than for the Army),

compressed leather - mainly for economy patterns during World War 1 and now quite rare.

British Army Numbered Regimental Buttons

In 1751, British Regiments of Foot (infantry) were numbered; after 1767 these numbers were shown on buttons. Some of these may be confused with more modern French or Belgian buttons, so look for the
maker's name on the back: if it has a French maker, it is probably a French button.

In 1881, the numbering system for regiments was discontinued. Although regimental pattern buttons continued for Officers, Other Ranks wore 'General Service' buttons from 1871 until after the First World
War (the same pattern throughout the whole Army). The British Army is full of exceptions, and some regiments permitted NCOs to wear regimental buttons during this period.

Up-dates

Button Catalogues

We publish button catalogues by post about 10 times per year. These cost £1.50 each and include fresh stock before it appears on this website.
In effect, postal subscribers get first-pick of the rare
items.

Identifying Uniform Buttons

The British Button Society

The British Button Society was founded in 1976 by a group of people interested in collecting buttons and researching their history. The Society has collectors of all types of button and publishes 4 excellent journals per year called 'Button Lines' - click for details